North Korea slams European nations for 'illogical thinking' over missile launches

[March 07, 2020]    SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea accused European nations of "illogical thinking" on Saturday after they called a closed-door U.N. Security Council meeting to condemn missile launches by the reclusive state earlier this week.

A man walks past a TV showing a file picture for a news report on North Korea firing two unidentified projectiles, in Seoul, South Korea, March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Heo RaN

Britain, Germany, France, Estonia and Belgium raised North Korea's latest missile firings at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, calling them a provocative action that violated U.N. resolutions.

North Korea fired two short-range missiles off the east coast into the sea on Monday after a three-month halt. The launches, which officials have said were routine military drills, were personally overseen by its leader Kim Jong Un.

"The illogical thinking and sophism of these countries are just gradually bearing a close resemblance to the United States, which is hostile to us," a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement to the state-run KCNA news agency.

The spokesperson, who was not named, described the European action as "reckless behavior ... instigated by the United States."

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader and a senior government official, defended Monday's launches as military drills, saying they were not meant to threaten anyone.

(Reporting by Jane Chung; Editing by Helen Popper)

[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.